1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to an improved display within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for altering a display within a data processing system in response to a change in orientation in hardware associated with the data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manipulation of data in a data processing system is well known in the prior art. Data may be manipulated in many ways in a modern state-of-the-art data processing system including data accessing, data encoding, data communications, data compression, data conversion, data exchange, data linking, data locking, data mapping, data modeling, data sorting, data recording, and data transferring. The large amounts of data that are available to the user of a modern state-of-the-art data processing system often becomes overwhelming in magnitude and complexity.
As a result of the increase in complexity of data processing systems, attempts have been made to simplify the interface between a user and the large amounts of data present within a modern data processing system. One example of an attempt to simplify the interface between a user and a data processing system is the utilization of a graphic user interface (GUI) to provide an intuitive in graphical interphase between the user and the data processing system. A GUI is an interface system, including devices, by which a user interacts with a data processing system, system components, and/or system applications via windows or via ports, icons, menus, pointing devices, etc. Another advancement in the computer art allows a user to simultaneously access, display, and manipulate data from a variety of related and/or unrelated computer application programs. This process is generally referred to as "multi-tasking". In a true multi-tasking system, several application programs are simultaneously active. Displays from each of these applications may be provided within a two dimensional display by presenting overlapping data collections and multiple layers in a simulated three-dimensional manner within the display of a data processing system. Each of these layers presents data associated with a particular data collection and these layers typically overlap and may partially or completely obscure each other and other data therein.
Other advances in data processing systems include changing the presentation of data in response to changes in hardware. For example, display systems are presently available in which the monitor can be pivoted to either a landscape or a portrait mode. Additionally, the video driver associated with the display detects the change in display modes and switches a software to provide for the change. Such a system is restricted to detecting changes in one access, in one direction, for a 90.degree. arc from 0.degree. to 90.degree.. Additionally, as pivoting occurs, the monitor goes blank until the end of the arc is reached. No intermediate positions or sampling is provided by such a system. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus to detect various changes in orientation of hardware associated with a data processing system in which the display is altered in response to various changes in orientation of the hardware.